We are a management board comprised of 11 skilled, dedicated and passionate people from Alberta and British Columbia - each connected and committed to the life and community of Naramata Centre and its Society.

Together, our board team brings a wealth of experience in leadership, finances, visioning, business planning, productivity, communication, human resources management, and more. Our current work is to determine what Naramata Centre Society is, now, and what we are called to do for, and with, its people. We are honoured to be doing this work.

Barb Green, Communications Lead [Edmonton AB]

On her first trip to Naramata Centre, Barb felt she had found her spiritual home. That scheduled one-week visit became two, when both Barb and her son, Kevin, simply could not leave after just seven days! Joyful Naramata summer weeks followed yearly, leaving Barb feeling nurtured and renewed and Kevin inspired to grow and to serve as summer staff. Having witnessed the positive effect on her son, Barb wants Naramata Centre to be there for future generations and is working with the Board toward this objective. Following her nursing career, Barb pursued education in public relations that led to a senior communications position with a large organization. Recently retired, Barb enjoys life-long learning, time in nature, working in her garden and travel.

Barb Gregg, Treasurer [Surrey BC]

Barb has always found Naramata Centre to be a place of retreat, learning and spiritual nurture. It is a place where she has come to learn and to grow so that she can live out her faith in her everyday life.

Barb began her working life in the hospitality industry then took her degree in Occupational Therapy in the mental health field. A change in her life led her to change her work life, completing her CGA and from there she found a real niche as a personal financial planner, which she carried on for 25 years. It was about the same time that she began attending Naramata, and a number of years later served on the Board, both as a Board Member and on the Capital Campaign Team. She has also served in the financial field with BC Conference Finance Council as chair and on her local church council as Property and Finance Convenor and later as Council Chair.

Barb is really looking forward to helping to rebuild Naramata Centre into the vital, impactful centre that it can be in our world today.

Barb Hatfield [Calgary AB]

Barb has 50 years of experience with Naramata Centre. She has participated in decades of summer programming, attended Winter Session, coordinated Summer Staff and served the Board on special subcommittees. Barb is an experienced educator who taught for 30 years with the Calgary Board of Education. Nurtured, challenged, and empowered by the United Church, she has served in numerous capacities on the National, Conference and local levels. Barb has born witness to significant change over the years and is humbled to have the opportunity to facilitate cooperation and reconciliation in this time of transformation. She hopes to help build community, foster transparency, nurture trust, and liaise between the board and the constituents. Barb’s passion lies in the creative process: she finds joy and personal fulfillment in journaling, visual & fabric arts, music, photography, and in designing creative learning experiences for others.

Daniel Ferguson, Secretary [Calgary AB]

Daniel has been making the journey from Calgary to the Naramata Centre every summer for the last 23 years. What started out as the continuance of family tradition soon became a passion for him, as he came to love all that the Centre represents and stands for. When the Centre closed down, and Daniel saw what was happening to it, he knew he wanted to do something about it because it meant so much to him.

Daniel is a third-year business student at Mount Royal University, majoring in accounting and general management. He's worked throughout his education as a bookkeeper and baker for a small local Calgary business, and has recently begun aiding people in preparing their personal taxes. Daniel volunteers at his local food bank and ran a successful head shave campaign to fund ovarian cancer research.

Doug Woollard, Chair [Delta BC]

Doug recently retired from a senior executive position with a BC Crown Corporation. Trained as a social worker Doug has worked most recently with people with developmental disabilities and their families. Doug has experience in human resources, financial management, contract negotiation and leadership. He is a skilled communicator having taught a course at the BC Justice Institute and having led many training courses. Doug has worked in government, the private sector and in the non-profit world. Doug’s association with the Centre began as a child when he moved to the NCLTS (Naramata Christian Leadership Training School) in 1953 with his parents. Doug attended winter session, has led a summer program, worked as summer staff and attended many summer programs over the years. Doug was previously on the board from 2004-2010 and was board chair from 2006-2009.

Glen Timbers [Oliver BC]

Prior to retirement, Glen Timbers worked in the health field for over 35 years. He started in public health, and at retirement was the CEO for the United Church Health Services Society. Glen’s focus in work was holistic health and well-being, coupled with ensuring individuals and communities had a voice in determining future directions. Glen has worked extensively with civic and First Nations communities. He believes that all peoples are children of God, the Creator, Great Spirit, and that we all must work together to address today’s spiritual and social issues. Glen’s interests include nature/hiking, wood and stone working, healing modalities, and spirituality.

Jenne Newman [Calgary AB]

Jenne is a Creative Arts Psychotherapist in Calgary, where she collaborates with others in moments of vulnerability, accessing the strength of creativity to develop solutions and foster growth. Naramata Centre has been a core part of Jenne’s world for over 30 years. The Centre sparked a passion in Jenne for working with collaborative teams, creating visions, developing intergenerational programming, and finding creative ways to build community. In Jenne’s toolbox you will find past non profit board experience, community engagement projects, business management, and a resilient spirit. Her history at the centre includes program participation, winter session, workshop leadership and six years on summer staff. Naramata is the home of her heart and she is honoured to be actively involved in this moment of change. When taking a pause, Jenne finds joy in nature, quiet moments and discovering the wonders of the world with her family.

Pam Rinehart, Vice-Chair [Calgary AB]

Pam is a literacy coach with Calgary Reads where she works with parents, educators, corporate partners and the community at large striving to ignite a reading movement. Pam loves to engage community in conversations that matter. She has many years of experience volunteering and leading volunteer initiatives, including eight years of non profit board experience having previously served as a director on the boards of Naramata Centre and Social Venture Partners Calgary. Pam has attended Naramata Centre programs with her husband and three sons, family and friend for fifteen years. She has deep gratitude for the Centre and is honoured to serve on this board.

Sarah Thomas [Port Alberni BC]

Sarah is a community planning consultant in Port Alberni, BC. Sarah works with regional governments and non-profits to facilitate community engagement, build inter-agency partnerships, and develop stakeholder working groups to further sustainable resource management and environmental sustainability. She is passionate about creating spaces for spiritual connection, building community, and working to ensure inclusiveness for all. Having grown up in the United Church and spent many summers at Naramata, both as a participant and staff, Sarah is honoured to now serve on the Naramata Centre Society Board to further the mission and vision of the Centre. When not doing board work or organizing events, Sarah can be found hiking the local trails, biking around the city, or picking apples in the yard.

Sarah Vollett [Vancouver BC]

Sarah is a change manager and process improvement expert who loves to combine her loves of technology and coaching by leading technological change initiatives - implementing new software and teaching staff on how it can make their jobs easier. She also has experience in strategic reporting and financial trending, and actually enjoys reading financial statements (honest!) Sarah's connection with Naramata is longstanding - she's a second-generation Winter Sessioner, worked on Summer Staff, and attended 18 years of summer programming with her family. Outside of work and Naramata, Sarah volunteers as a youth leader at Presbytery and Conference youth retreats, and is a performer and assistant director with the Broadway Chorus of Vancouver musical theatre troupe. She's been on the Naramata Centre Society Board of Directors since 2015.